Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed a bill banning biological males from women’s sports.
Surrounded by female students and athletes as he signed the legislation Wednesday, Stitt called the legislation “common sense,” pointing to the physiological advantages that biological men have over women, and thanked legislators for “doing the hard work” to put the bill on his desk.
“When it comes to sports and athletics, girls should compete against girls,” he said. “Boys should compete against boys. And let’s be very clear. That’s all this bill says.”
“What we are trying to accomplish here is very very simple,” he added. “We are protecting women’s sports. We are ensuring a level playing field for female athletes who work hard, who train hard, who are committed to their team. Who have dreams to be number one in their sport. Who deserve a fair competition.”
The governor signed the state’s “Save Women’s Sports Act” a few weeks after national controversy erupted over Lia Thomas, a biological man who identifies as a transgender woman and raced in the NCAA Women’s Championships.
Despite highly publicized calls for action from Virginia Tech swimmer Reka Gyorgy and University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines — both of whom competed against Thomas and suffered for it, the NCAA has stayed silent, ignoring The Daily Wire’s many requests for comment.
“It’s simply not fair, and it will not happen in the state of Oklahoma,” Stitt said of biological men competing in women’s sports.
In 30 minutes I will be joined by state lawmakers and female athletes from across the state as I sign the "Save Women's Sports Act."
Watch the bill signing and press conference live here: 👇 👇 👇 https://t.co/FssmUv4yrW
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) March 30, 2022
“It’s a good day for girls in Oklahoma,” Family Policy Alliance spokeswoman Meridian Baldacci said in a statement. “Female athletes should grow up with a level playing field, in life and in sports.”
“As we have seen in recent weeks, when males are allowed to compete in female sports competitions, they can and do take championship titles and other elite opportunities that were meant for girls,” she added. “But in Oklahoma, girls can know that they have a level playing field, and a fair shot at the opportunities meant just for them.”
Oklahoma joins Idaho, the first state to protect the integrity of women’s sports, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, Alabama, Tennessee, South Dakota, West Virginia, Texas, Florida, Iowa, and Utah in passing laws that ban biological males from women’s sports, according to the Family Policy Alliance.
At least 29 states in the U.S. have made moves to craft or pass legislation banning biological males from women’s sports, according to data compiled by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Other Republican-backed legislation bans minors from obtaining transgender surgeries and hormones — medical interventions that advocates and many in the legacy media frame as “gender-affirming medical care.”